| Amid spike in COVID-19 cases, pregnant women employees in dilemma to join duties | | Few DCs announced one month leave but no new direction so far | | EARLY TIMES REPORT
JAMMU, June 25: Amid spike in COVID-19 cases as well as deaths across the country including Jammu and Kashmir, the pregnant women employees are in a dilemma over joining their duties as no such order has so far been issued by government exempting them from duties.
In the last week of May 2020, some district administrations had issued a circular, in which they had acknowledged the vulnerability of pregnant women to catch the infection and had directed the Drawing and Disbursing Officers of all departments to send the pregnant women on leave.
In a circular issued by a Deputy Commissioner, some guidelines were issued to Drawing and Disbursing Officers (DDOs) related to pregnant women employees.
The circular issued on May 24, read, “.......working women especially in government offices, banks, hospitals etc are at greater risk in view of public dealing involved......medical experts have opined that pregnant woman and more susceptible to infection....I therefore order that all DDOs/Heads of offices including government offices, Private Organizations, Banks, Health Institutions, or such other establishments involved in public dealing shall compulsory ensure that pregnant women officials are sent on leave for a period of one month immediately”. The circular made it clear that the pregnant employees would be given full pay/emoulments/arrears as due during the routine duty and also gave helpline number if some employer or official denied the same.
The circular had mentioned the leave for one month and it expired on June 23, 2020 after which no new circular was issued due to which the pregnant women employees have to join the duties, despite the fact that Covid-19 infections have been increasing at an alarming rate. “We had to join the duties as there were no direction or circular exempting us from duties”, a women employee said, adding that even when they enquired from the DDO, the official in turn said that in view of no such order, the women employees would have to join the duties or they would be marked as absent.
Secretary In-charge, Disaster Management, Simrandeep Singh said that there was a circular issued by General Administration Department (GAD) which clearly mentioned about SOPs for pregnant women. The latest GAD circular was issued on 7/6/2020 which was related to guidelines/instructions on lockdown measures in UT from 8th of June, 2020, issued by Chief Secretary. In the Annexure under section, “Non permissible activities in entire UT of J&K”, sub-section VII reads, “Persons above 65 years of age, persons with comorbidities, pregnant women and children below the age of 10 years shall stay at home, except for meeting essential requirement or for health purposes”.
The column 3 reads, “All the SOPs and instructions issued earlier and referred to in the Annexure will be deemed to have been extended till the validity of the order or modified otherwise. Any deviation from the order shall attract penal action under Disaster Management Act, 2005”.
However, an official said that the SOPs were issued by government but in absence of any particular order for the pregnant women employees, the DDOs didn’t exempt the pregnant women employees from the duties. “Due to no clarity from the administration, pregnant women have been forced to join duties, jeopardizing their own as well as expecting child’s health at risk”, an official said.
Deputy Commissioner Kathua O P Bhagat said that the earlier order issued by him, exempting the pregnant women employees was still intact. On being asked the DDOs didn’t exempt the pregnant women in absence of any new order, DC said that he would look into the matter and issue necessary directions. |
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